Huihong Qian is in business development at SCANLAB (Puchheim industrial and consumer electronics EMC testing is now based in the Munich suburb of Puchheim The new EMC test lab covers 6,300 m2 and has been adapted for automotive and e-mobility medical devices and industrial and consumer electronics The lab is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited and can evaluate everything from small components to large The site’s 10 m EMC chamber contains a 6 m diameter turntable with a load capacity of 10 tons (dynamic) and 35 tons (static) a heavy-duty test area away from the turntable is available for vehicles and specimens of up to 15 tons/m2 Access to the chamber is made easy by the 4.2 x 4.2 m door SGS launches in-situ EMC testing of large equipment The facility also houses two 5 m absorber chambers these are fitted to test both current and next-generation medium-sized test specimens and complex setups for high-voltage systems in the context of e-mobility and can evaluate specimens up to 125 A/400 V and 1,000 VDC or 500 ADC the laboratory is configured to test radio frequency (RF) product safety and fire and flammability on a wide range of products audio-video and laboratory equipment and in-vitro and medical devices Its new lighting technology laboratory includes an 18 m long dark room with expanded scope that can now evaluate photometric properties and photobiological safety in lamps The Puchheim laboratory holds official designation from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt alongside German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) accreditation in the areas of EMC lighting technology and fire and flammability The site can issue EMC certification for US or South Korean markets and CB certification for EMC and product safety mister-baseball.com Passionate about European baseball since 2007 With the financial support of the local municipality, the state government, parent club, and sponsors, LED lighting will be installed on both the baseball and youth / softball fields, with the work expected to completed by early summer. 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Volume 15 - 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.642176 This article is part of the Research TopicRetinal Degeneration and Therapy ApproachesView all 21 articles Retinal ischemia is a common pathomechanism in various eye diseases evidence accumulated suggesting that the extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein tenascin-C (Tnc) plays a key role in ischemic degeneration the possible functional role of Tnc in retinal ischemia is not yet known The aim of our study was to explore retinal function and rod-bipolar/photoreceptor cell degeneration in wild type (WT) and Tnc knock-out (KO) mice after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury I/R was induced by increasing intraocular pressure in the right eye of wild type (WT I/R) and Tnc KO (KO I/R) mice The left eye served as untreated control (WT CO and KO CO) Scotopic electroretinogram (ERG) recordings were performed to examine rod-bipolar and rod-photoreceptor cell function retinal structure and apoptotic and synaptic alterations were analyzed by immunohistochemistry We found increased Tnc protein levels 3 days after ischemia while Tnc immunoreactivity decreased after 7 days Tnc mRNA expression was comparable in the ischemic retina ERG measurements after 7 days showed lower a-/b-wave amplitudes in both ischemic groups the amplitudes in the KO I/R group were higher than in the WT I/R group We observed retinal thinning in WT I/R mice after 3 and 7 days retinal thinning was not observed in the KO I/R group until 7 days The number of PKCα+ rod-bipolar cells recoverin+ photoreceptor staining and Prkca and Rcvrn expression were comparable in all groups reduced rhodopsin protein as well as Rho and Gnat1 mRNA expression levels of rod-photoreceptors were found in the WT I/R a lower number of activated caspase 3+ cells was observed in the KO I/R group both ischemic groups displayed enhanced vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGlut1) levels KO mice showed diminished rod-photoreceptor degeneration and retinal dysfunction after I/R Elevated vGlut1 levels after ischemia could be related to an impaired glutamatergic photoreceptor-bipolar cell signaling and excitotoxicity Our study provides novel evidence that Tnc reinforces ischemic retinal degeneration Retinal ischemia contributes to the pathophysiology of numerous eye disorders, such as vascular occlusions (e.g., central retinal vein/artery occlusion), acute glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy (Osborne et al., 2004; Hayreh, 2005; Campochiaro, 2015) ischemia develops as a result of capillary blockage and results in non-perfusion of this region The mentioned diseases result in visual disturbances and possible blindness for these patients A better understanding of the underlying pathomechanisms involved in retinal ischemia is therefore crucial for the development of novel diagnostic and therapy strategies to prevent vision loss the functional role of the ECM during ischemic processes and their impact on retinal neurodegeneration is not well known yet suggesting that Tnc deficiency provides various neuroprotective effects the functional relevance of Tnc in retinal ischemia is poorly understood The goal of the present study was to comparatively explore retinal function rod-bipolar/photoreceptor cell degeneration and synaptic alterations in WT and Tnc KO mice after I/R injury we observed a diminished rod-photoreceptor degeneration and an improved retinal function in Tnc KO mice after ischemia we found increased vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGlut1) protein levels in both ischemic groups which could be related to an impaired glutamatergic photoreceptor-bipolar cell signaling and excitotoxicity the present study provides first evidence that Tnc accelerates ischemic rod-photoreceptor damage For all experiments, 6-week-old 129/Sv (129S2/SvPasCrl; background mouse strain) wild type (WT) and Tnc KO mice (Forsberg et al., 1996) of both genders were used WT and Tnc KO mice were generated by the breeding of homozygous Tnc KO and WT mice WT and Tnc KO breedings were derived from heterozygous breedings Mouse colonies were maintained at the animal facility of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology Mice were housed under equal environmentally controlled lighting conditions (12 h light-dark cycle) with free access to chow and water mice were anesthetized with a mixture of Medetomidine (500 μg/kg; Dorbene vet® 1 mg/ml Midazolam (5 mg/kg; Midazolam-hameln® 1 mg/ml and Fentanyl (50 μg/kg; Fentadon® 50 μg/ml Albrecht GmbH/Dechra Veterinary Products Deutschland GmbH The cornea of the right eye of each animal was topically anesthetized with Oxybuprocaine hydrochloride (Novesine Stulln® 4 mg/ml Germany) and the pupil was dilated with Tropicamide (Mydriaticum Stulln® 5 mg/ml Germany) to an NaCl reservoir (Isotonic saline solution 0.9% Ecoflac Plus Germany) was carefully inserted into the anterior chamber of the eye IOP was increased above a systolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg for 45 min Ischemia was confirmed by blanching of the retina detected via an ophthalmoscope (Mini 3000 reperfusion of the retinal vasculature was observed by examining the fundus and the returning blood flow using an ophthalmoscope anesthesia was stopped by the subcutaneous application of Atipamezole (2.5 mg/kg; Alzane® 5 mg/ml Flumazenil (0.5 mg/kg; FLUMAzenil® 0.1 mg/ml Germany) and Naloxone (1200 μg/kg; Naloxon-hameln® 0.4 mg/ml control eyes were treated with a Dexpanthenol solution (Bepanthen® Augen- und Nasensalbe 5 mg/g Ischemic eyes were treated with an Ofloxacin solution (Floxal® 3 mg/ml metamizole (200 mg/kg) was administrated orally to drinking water for 4 days after ischemia Animals with signs of inflammation or cataract were excluded from the study Animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation at 3 and 7 days after I/R and retinae were explanted for immunohistochemistry Western blot analyses and quantitative real time PCR (RT-qPCR) Before evaluating the a- and b-waves amplitudes a-waves were measured from the pre-stimulus baseline up to the a-wave whereas b-waves were measured from the a-wave to the b-wave peak and embedded in Tissue Freezing Medium® (Leica United States) for cross-sectioning (16 μm) with a cryostat (CM3050 S Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining of retinal sections was performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s protocol (Rapid Chrome H&E Frozen Section Staining Kit 2 central retinal sections per animal (n = 5/group) were analyzed Brightfield images were captured with the Axio Zoom V16 (Carl Zeiss Microscopy Germany) in central and mid-peripheral areas of each retinal section at a 200× magnification measurements at 2 positions were performed using the Zeiss ZEN software (Carl Zeiss Microscopy) the distance from the basal ganglion cell layer (GCL) to the apical part of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) was measured we measured the thickness of the ONL and OPL alone and together (ONL + OPL) the thickness of the WT CO group was set to 100% Cell nuclei were counterstained using TO-PRO-3 (1:400; Thermo Fisher Scientific) which was diluted in secondary antibody solution Primary and secondary antibodies used for immunohistochemistry Sections treated with secondary antibody only served as negative controls sections were covered in Immu-Mount (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and stored at 4°C Protein kinase alpha C (PKCα) cells were counted manually in a defined area of 225 × 225 μm using the cell counter tool of ImageJ the staining area and the number of immunoreactive cells of the WT CO group was set to 100% Activated caspase 3 immunoreactive cells were counted in the ONL of whole retinal sections Primary and secondary antibodies used for Western blot analyses Expression was normalized against the constantly expressed housekeeping gene hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (Hprt) List of primer pairs used for RT-qPCR analyses Pairwise analyses of Tnc protein levels in two groups (WT CO vs WT I/R) were carried out with the Student t-test (Statistica software For a multiple comparison of all four groups (WT CO histological stainings and Western blots were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test A pairwise fixed reallocation and randomization test (REST software Relative expression software tool 2009; QIAGEN GmbH Early induction of Tnc in the ischemic WT retina (A–D) Images of Tnc stained retinal cross-sections from control and ischemic WT groups at 3 and 7 days Immunohistochemistry revealed a Tnc signal in the IPL and OPL as well as in the NFL (red) Cell nuclei were counterstained with TO-PRO-3 (blue) (E) Tnc+ staining area was significantly increased at 3 days indicating an early induction of Tnc after ischemic injury a significantly reduced Tnc staining could be demonstrated at 7 days relative protein quantification showed a significant upregulation of larger Tnc isoforms at 3 days after I/R (J–M) Comparable Tnc protein levels were observed after 7 days (N) No differences of the Tnc mRNA expression were noted at both points in time after ischemia Data were analyzed via Student t-test and presented as mean ± standard error mean (SEM) in panels (E,G–I,K–M) groups were compared using the pairwise fixed reallocation and randomization test in panel (N) These data are shown as median ± quartile ± minimum/maximum *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01 In order to analyze the expression pattern of Tnc after ischemia, we performed coimmunostaining (Supplementary Figure 3) anti-calbindin was used as a specific marker for horizontal and amacrine cells while anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was used to label astrocytes Calbindin- and Tnc-double-positive horizontal cells were observed in the most apical part of the INL Tnc immunoreactivity in the basal part of the INL was also found in close association with calbindin+ amacrine cells we revealed a colocalization of GFAP+ astrocytes and Tnc in the NFL indicating that the mentioned cells are a source of Tnc expression in the retina Finally, we examined Tnc mRNA levels using RT-qPCR at both points in time. However, compared to the non-ischemic condition, Tnc mRNA expression was similar at 3 (p = 0.78) and 7 days (p = 0.58) after ischemia (Figure 1N and Supplementary Table 2) our temporal analyses of Tnc induction revealed a very early raise followed by a decrease of the Tnc protein level after ischemic damage our results indicate that the upregulation of Tnc is a very early event during retinal ischemic damage To examine possible functional deficits in control and ischemic WT and Tnc KO retinae, scotopic ERG-recordings were conducted at 7 days post-I/R (Figures 2A–C and Supplementary Table 3) increased a- and b-wave amplitudes were observed with rising light flash stimuli Rod-photoreceptor cell and rod-bipolar cell responses were evaluated by a- and b-wave amplitude measurements Improvement of retinal function in ischemic Tnc KO mice (A–C) Retinal function was analyzed in the control WT (WT CO) and Tnc KO (KO CO) groups as well as in the ischemic WT (WT I/R) and Tnc KO groups (KO I/R) at 7 days after I/R (A) Exemplary ERG waveforms for all groups at the flash luminances of 1 (B,C) The flash luminance (cd*s/m2) and the a- or b-wave amplitude size (μV) are indicated in the graphs Significant lower a- and b-wave amplitudes were found in both genotypes after I/R the KO I/R group showed significantly reduced a-wave amplitudes only at lower flash luminances in comparison to the control KO group b-wave amplitudes from 3 to 25 cd*s/m2 were significantly higher in comparison to the WT I/R group Groups were analyzed using two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test cd: candela; μV: micro volt; m: minutes; s: seconds significantly reduced a-wave (p < 0.05) and b-wave (p < 0.01) amplitudes were recorded in the WT I/R condition the KO I/R group showed significantly reduced a-wave responses at lower light stimuli in comparison to the KO CO group (p < 0.05 from 1 to 3 cd∗s/m2) although the amplitudes of the a-wave were comparable in both ischemic groups (p > 0.05) higher amplitudes were observed in the KO I/R group The KO I/R and KO CO groups showed similar b-wave amplitudes (p ≥ 0.05) the WT I/R group exhibited significantly reduced b-wave responses (p < 0.05 from 3 to 25 cd∗s/m2) although the KO I/R group was less affected impaired a-wave responses were observed in both genotypes after ischemia but much better b-wave functionality following ischemia our results suggest that the loss of Tnc acts neuroprotective after I/R on a functional level ONL + OPL thickness as well as OPL thickness were significantly reduced in the WT I/R group (WT CO vs total: p = 0.02; ONL + OPL: p = 0.03; OPL: p = 0.01) while no differences were found in the ONL (p > 0.11) no significant reduction in the layer thickness was observed in the KO I/R group compared to the KO CO group (KO CO vs Although ONL + OPL (p = 0.03) as well as OPL thickness (p = 0.02) was reduced in the KO I/R compared to the WT CO state Maintenance of early retinal integrity in Tnc KO mice (A–H) Cross-sections of control and ischemic WT and KO retinae were stained with H&E at 3 and 7 days post-I/R ONL and OPL as well as OPL retinal thickness was noted in the WT I/R group compared to the WT CO group overall outer retinal thickness was comparable in the KO I/R and KO CO group suggesting an improved structural retinal integrity in the KO early after ischemia progressive decline in the outer retinal thickness was observed in both ischemic groups Data are displayed as mean ± SEM in panels (I,J) At 7 days, the thickness of retinae from WT CO and KO CO animals was quite similar (WT CO vs. KO CO, p > 0.05; Figure 3J) retinal thickness of both ischemic groups was reduced compared to the control groups (WT CO vs total: p < 0.001; ONL + OPL: p = 0.008; ONL: p = 0.13; OPL: p = 0.006 and KO CO vs total: p < 0.001; ONL + OPL: p = 0.004; ONL: p = 0.03; OPL: p = 0.03) the KO I/R group showed a significant total (p = 0.008) ONL and OPL (p = 0.005) and OPL (p < 0.001) layer reduction ONL + OPL (p = 0.006) as well as the OPL (p = 0.02) was significantly thinner in the WT I/R compared to the KO CO condition Similar retinal layer thicknesses were measured in both ischemic conditions (p = 0.14) we observed a reduced retinal thickness in the WT group at 3 and 7 days after ischemia retinal thickness was not affected in the KO group at 3 days post-I/R Tnc deficient mice showed a reduced retinal thickness only at 7 days after ischemia These data point to a delayed retinal degeneration and early maintenance of retinal integrity in the Tnc KO our data indicate that the structural integrity of the OPL is in particular severely impaired after retinal ischemia while the integrity of the ONL is less affected at both examined time points In order to analyze whether rod-bipolar cells are affected in both genotypes after ischemic injury, we performed PKCα immunostainings. However, the number of PKCα+ cells in control and ischemic retinae of both genotypes was similar at 3 days (WT CO vs. WT I/R, p = 0.99; KO CO vs. KO I/R, p = 0.79; Figures 4A–D,I) as well as at 7 days post-I/R (WT CO vs. WT I/R, p = 0.72; KO CO vs. KO I/R, p = 0.18; Figures 4E–H,J) Rod-bipolar cells are not affected early ischemia (A–H) Anti-PKCα was used to label rod-bipolar cells (red) 3 and 7 days post-I/R TO-PRO-3 (blue) was used as nuclear counterstain (I,J) Countings of PKCα+ cells demonstrated no changes between control and ischemic WT and KO retinae 3 and 7 days post-I/R (K,L) In line with the immunohistochemical results comparable protein levels of PKCα were detected via Western blot in all four groups 7 days post-I/R (M–O) RT-qPCR analyses showed an unaltered Prkca mRNA expression level in all groups at both points in time after ischemia Groups were evaluated using two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test Data are indicated as mean ± SEM in panels (I,J,L) groups were analyzed using the pairwise fixed reallocation and randomization test Data are shown as median ± quartile ± minimum/maximum in panels (M–O) ONL: outer nuclear layer; OPL: outer plexiform layer; INL: inner nuclear layer; IPL: inner plexiform layer In line with these results, total PKCα protein levels, investigated by Western blotting at 7 days, were equivalent in all groups (WT CO vs. WT I/R, p = 0.99; KO CO vs. KO I/R, p = 0.90; Figures 4K,L) no differences regarding the rod-bipolar cell integrity were observed in WT and Tnc KO retinae after I/R we verified a preservation of the PKCα+ rod-bipolar cell population in both genotypes following ischemic injury Unaltered recoverin levels in WT and KO mice after ischemia (A–H) Photoreceptors cells were marked with an antibody against recoverin (red) and cell nuclei were labeled with TO-PRO-3 (blue) at 3 and 7 days post-I/R (I,J) Recoverin+ staining area was similar in the control and ischemic WT and KO groups at both analyzed points in time (K) Exemplary Western blots of recoverin at 7 days post-I/R (L) No changes in the recoverin band intensity were observed in both genotypes (M) A comparable Rcvrn expression was seen in the non-ischemic WT and KO groups at 3 as well as 7 days post-I/R (N) An equal mRNA level of Rcvrn was detected in the ischemic groups when compared to the corresponding control groups we also observed an unaltered Rcvrn expression in the KO I/R group Data are shown as mean ± SEM in panels (I,J,L) groups were compared using the pairwise fixed reallocation and randomization test OS: outer segments; IS: inner segments; ONL: outer nuclear layer; OPL: outer plexiform layer; INL: inner nuclear layer Furthermore, recoverin (23 kDa) was quantified via Western blot analyses (Figure 5K). The statistical evaluation revealed equal protein levels in WT as well as KO mice (WT CO vs. WT I/R, p = 0.99 and KO CO vs. KO I/R, p = 1.0; Figure 5L) the statistical analyses verified a significant lower rhodopsin immunoreactivity in ischemic WT retinae (WT CO vs In the KO condition no alterations were detectable at this point in time (KO CO vs Preservation of rod-photoreceptor cells in the ischemic Tnc KO retina (A–H) Rod-photoreceptors were labeled with rhodopsin (green) in control and ischemic WT and KO retinae 3 and 7 days after I/R a significantly decreased rhodopsin staining area was only noted in the ischemic WT group the rhodopsin staining was significantly increased in the KO I/R group when compared to the WT I/R group we detected a significant reduction of the rhodopsin-stained area in the WT I/R compared to the WT CO group the KO I/R group showed a comparable rhodopsin staining as the KO CO group (K) Analyses of rhodopsin via Western blot (L) Quantification of band intensity revealed reduced protein levels in the WT I/R group when compared to the other groups at 7 days post-I/R (M) No difference in the Rho expression was noted in the KO CO group compared to the WT CO group at both points in time (N) A significant downregulation of the Rho mRNA level was seen in the WT I/R group in comparison to the WT CO group at 3 and 7 days post-I/R an upregulation of Rho was observed in the KO group compared to the WT group at 7 days post-I/R Statistics were done with a two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test Data were presented as mean ± SEM in panels (I,J,L) **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001 In addition, rhodopsin protein levels were determined via Western blot analyses at 7 days after ischemia. Therefore, we measured the band intensity of rhodopsin at ∼40 kDa (Figure 6K). We observed significantly reduced rhodopsin protein levels in WT I/R compared to both non-ischemic genotypes (WT I/R vs. WT CO, p = 0.012 and vs. KO CO, p = 0.008; Figure 6L) In a direct comparison of both ischemic groups we noted a significant decrease of rhodopsin in the WT condition (p < 0.001) No differences were observed between the KO CO and the KO I/R groups (p = 0.32) as well as between the WT CO and KO CO groups (p = 0.94) the Rho level was significantly enhanced in the ischemic KO condition (WT I/R vs To follow the degeneration of photoreceptors more closely, apoptotic cells were labeled with an antibody directed against activated caspase 3 (Supplementary Figures 5A–E) we found a significantly higher number of activated caspase 3+ cells in the ONL of both ischemic groups (WT CO vs a reduced number of apoptotic cells was noted in the ischemic KO compared to the ischemic WT group (WT I/R vs our analyses revealed rod-photoreceptors damage after retinal ischemia a more pronounced damage was observed in the WT retina indicating a better rod-photoreceptor outcome in the ischemic Tnc KO retina These results suggest that the loss of Tnc not only partially preserves the function of rod-photoreceptors Enhanced protein levels of the pre-synaptic marker vGlut1 after retinal ischemia (A–C) RT-qPCR analyses of the synaptic marker Cacna1f at 7 days after ischemia (A) Equivalent mRNA expression levels were observed for Cacnaf1 in the KO CO compared to the WT CO group (B) Similar levels of Cacnaf1 were measured in the WT I/R compared to the WT CO group as well as in the KO I/R compared to the KO CO group (C) Cacnaf1 mRNA expression levels were also found to be comparable in both ischemic groups (D) Representative Western blots of CtBP2/ribeye at 7 days post-I/R (E) Quantification of the band intensity revealed similar CtBP2 protein levels in the retina of all groups (F) Exemplary Western blots of vGlut1 at 7 days post-I/R (G) Quantification of the band intensity showed significantly elevated vGlut1 protein levels in the retina of both ischemic groups groups were analyzed using two-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test These data are displayed as mean ± SEM in panels (E,G) groups were analyzed using the pairwise fixed reallocation and randomization test and data in panels (A–C) are shown as median ± quartile ± minimum/maximum Although vGlut1 protein levels were comparable in the WT I/R and KO I/R group (WT I/R vs these results suggest that glutamatergic signaling is impaired after retinal ischemia but not different in the retina of WT and KO mice In the present study, we used a KO mouse I/R model to analyze the functional importance of the ECM component Tnc in retinal neurodegeneration. Previously, Tnc dysregulation has been described not only after cerebral, but also hepatic and myocardial ischemic degeneration (Lu et al., 2003; Taki et al., 2010, 2015; Kuriyama et al., 2011) the role of Tnc in retinal ischemia is not yet understood This might also correspond to our findings of a decreased Tnc immunoreactivity at 7 days after ischemia it would be therefore interesting to perform comprehensive mRNA as well as protein analyses on specific Tnc isoforms We observed a significant b-wave amplitude decrease for all light flash luminances in the ischemic WT group compared to both non-ischemic control groups a better outcome of the b-wave responses was observed after I/R in KO mice compared to the control groups The ischemia-induced decrease was statistically significant in the WT compared to the KO our analyses revealed that retinal function was clearly more affected in the presence of Tnc we suggest that the absence of Tnc may have a protective effect on rod-photoreceptors and rod-bipolar cells after ischemic damage in the retina Reduced a-wave amplitudes indicate an impairment of rod-mediated photoreceptor function post-I/R we propose that rod-bipolar cells are more robust against retinal ischemia on a structural level than rod-photoreceptors We also investigated the retinal structure by measuring layer thickness. Here, we found that the OPL was particularly diminished even 3 days post-I/R. It is well known that ischemia-induced damage is associated with a disorganization as well as time-dependent thinning of retinal layers (Palmhof et al., 2019) our H&E stainings point to a time-delayed damage of the retinal layers in Tnc KO mice after I/R Only a moderate thinning of the ONL was observed at 7 days after I/R based on the increased number of apoptotic cells that we observed in the ONL we expect a more progressive thinning at later points in time we speculate that this thinning could be caused by synaptic remodeling Tenascin-C has been reported to be implicated in synapse development and synaptic plasticity (Evers et al., 2002; Heikkinen et al., 2014; Gottschling et al., 2019) Based on these reports and due to our finding of reduced a- and b-wave amplitudes and severe reduction of the OPL after ischemia we also examined the signal transfer from photoreceptors to bipolar cells by analyzing the expression of various synaptic proteins Our analyses of Cacna1f and CtBP2 revealed comparable mRNA/protein levels in the WT and KO control and ischemic groups these findings suggest that neither ischemia nor the loss of Tnc has a huge influence on photoreceptor/bipolar cell ribbon synapses immunohistochemical as well as ultrastructural analyses of ribbon synapses after ischemia and Tnc loss are necessary to explore a possible impact ERG recordings in vGlut1 KO mice revealed that no photoreceptor-driven visual signals are transmitted to ON bipolar cells an overall imbalance of vGlut1 levels could also explain the impaired a- and b-wave amplitudes that we observed after ischemia we did not find any significant differences between ischemic WT and KO mice which might indicate that the increase of vGlut1 is rather related to the ischemic damage than the Tnc deficiency upregulation of Tnc in the ischemic retina our data indicate that ischemic Tnc KO mice have a better outcome in regard to retinal functionality and integrity as well as survival of rod-photoreceptor cells increased vGlut1 levels after ischemia could point to an impaired glutamatergic photoreceptor-bipolar cell signaling and excitotoxicity our findings suggest that the induction of the ECM glycoprotein Tnc contributes to ischemia-induced degenerative processes in the retina possibly also by remodeling of synaptic sites A better understanding of ECM remodeling and synaptic changes associated with retinal ischemia could be useful for the development of novel neuroprotective strategies The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author/s Animal experiments adhered to the “Association for Research and Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)” Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research All animal care and experimental procedures were conducted in accordance with the EU animal welfare protection laws and regulations and were approved by the Ethics Committee of the state North Rhine-Westphalia The study was supervised by the animal welfare commissioner of the Ruhr-University Bochum All authors read and approved the final manuscript This research was funded by MERCUR (An-2017-0029 to JR) SW was supported by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (200520593) The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest The authors would like to thank Andreas Faissner for expert comments during the project phase and Marion Voelzkow for excellent technical assistance We acknowledge support of the DFG Open Access Publication Funds of the Ruhr-University Bochum The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.642176/full#supplementary-material BSA: bovine serum albumin; CNS: central nervous system; CtBP2: C-terminal binding protein 2; ECM: extracellular matrix; ERG: 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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Jacqueline Reinhard, amFjcXVlbGluZS5yZWluaGFyZEBydWIuZGU= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Germany-based provider of imaging technology The enlarged warehouse facility occupies approximately 700m2 and provides a much-improved infrastructure serving as the hub for deliveries to customers in Germany The order administration department also moved into the centre in addition to the hardware integration department Managing director and company founder Wilhelm Stemmer was at the official opening Stemmer Imaging is one of UPS' biggest customers in the Munich area The vacated areas that were previously occupied by the order processing hardware integration and warehouse/shipping departments have now been converted into a customer service area where regular training sessions will be held on different aspects of imaging Wilhelm Stemmer stated that he was looking forward to the greatly improved levels of service that these new facilities will provide for customers Vision and Automation Solutions for Engineers and Integrators Worldwide Sales in the machine vision industry in Europe dropped 7% in 2023 and are expected to decline an additional 3% in 2024 chairman of the board of VDMA Machine Vision (Frankfurt Germany) and consultant to Stemmer Imaging (Puchheim or the Mechanical Engineering Industry Association is a German trade group representing mechanical and plant engineering companies in Germany and Europe “Having a drop in order entry in the second half of 2023 is what is causing the lower revenue in 2024,” Williamson adds sales turnover in the machine vision industry totaled €3.2 billion in 2023  VDMA expects sales of €3.1 billion in 2024 The sales downturn wasn’t felt evenly across VDMA’s membership in 2023 Component manufacturers experienced a 15% drop VDMA’s Machine Vision division released the results and forecasts during a press event in April about VISION a machine vision trade fair scheduled for October 8-10 in Stuttgart Williamson pointed to the weak global economy and geopolitical crises as contributing factors in the downward business cycle which has led many companies to hold back on new capital investments Related: Will 2024 be a Better Year for Machine Vision than 2023? the overall tone of Williamson’s comments was positive He says that VDMA expects the machine vision market to begin its recovery in the fourth quarter of 2024 “We are seeing the beginning of this happening; interest is beginning to grow Williamson also told attendees at the VISION press event that he remains bullish on the industry’s prospects “Vision technology is actually outperforming the wider industry showing that machine vision is a robust market to be in and it is a good investment.” Williamson says the downturn is only the second “dip” that has occurred in the machine vision market in the last 15 years; the first occurred in 2020 during the pandemic Sales have grown an average of 9% over the last 10 years followed by years of rapid growth: 17% in 2021 and 11% in 2022 managing director of MVTec Software GmbH (Munich He notes that the current downturn is a typical phase in the industrial business cycle We have now this cycle that we have never had before that’s called the pandemic cycle And then we have the usual industrial cycles you get a huge downswing and this is where we are at the moment The VDMA outlook for Europe mirrors other forecasts released this year predicts a global growth rate in 2024 of 1.4% in the machine vision market with higher annual growth rates returning in 2025 the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) fields regular surveys of its members to ask about their expectations for sales during the upcoming six months and the full year.  When asked about their sales expectations for the entire automation industry a majority predicted a better year over the next 12 months in North America A total of 39.30% of respondents expect sales to be up significantly (10% or more) in 2024 and 39.74% expect sales to be up moderately (1% to 10%) Only 13.54% of its members predict flat sales in 2024 while 6.11% expect a moderate decline (-1% to -10%) and 1.31% expect sales to be down significantly (-10% or more) Linda Wilson joined the team at Vision Systems Design in 2022 She has more than 25 years of experience in B2B publishing and has written for numerous publications she was the senior editor at Medical Laboratory Observer SCANLAB can increase the fields of application for its products Diffractive optical elements can be used to specifically shape laser beams DOEs have microstructures etched into a substrate using a lithographic process The Israeli company is regarded as an experienced player and leader in this market segment HOLO/OR—a company familiar to the Laser Focus World audience (as is SCANLAB)—is one of only a few suppliers capable of producing DOEs with high damage thresholds that can stand up to high-power laser outputs Its expertise encompasses not just design and fabrication acquired a quarter of all HOLO/OR shares in August 2020 the holding company will take over all remaining shares in several steps The acquired company will retain its independence and collaborate closely with sister company SCANLAB on a number of projects In addition to planned technical innovations “I am very pleased in finding a suitable partner to whom I can gradually transfer responsibility for my company—and thereby entrust ‘my life’s work’ to good hands,” says Israel Grossinger one has not only responsibility for his team but also a wish to see his vision carried forward And this is exactly what our collaboration feels like.” “Talks with the team in Israel were very constructive right from the beginning and driven by shared ideas,” says TechInvest Holding executive board member Dirk Thomas in explaining the new investment’s advantages “We’re convinced the gained optical expertise will result in a new generation of highly integrated scan systems.” John Wallace was with Laser Focus World for nearly 25 years He obtained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and physics at Rutgers University and a master's in optical engineering at the University of Rochester Juliane Diller was 17 when the aircraft she and her mother were on exploded Juliane was the only survivor – and it would take her 11 days to walk to safety Juliane Diller’s mother had booked herself and her daughter seats in the penultimate row of Lansa flight 508 from Lima to Pucallpa in Peru to reunite with her husband for the Christmas holidays so when a bolt of lightning struck the plane’s right-hand wing She describes seeing a gleaming white light around the outer of the two wing-mounted engines her row of three seats dislocated from its mounting and she could see all the way down the aisles as it nosedived to the ground and she could make out the shapes of Christmas presents and boxes with festive panettone cakes as they tumbled from the hand-luggage compartment “Now it’s all over” in an oddly calm voice “as if it came from another world,” says Diller and could sense that her mother was no longer sitting next to her Beneath her she could see an expanse of different shades of green “In that moment it was crystal clear to me that I was falling from the sky Diller with schoolmates after she returned to Lima Photograph: Bettmann/Bettmann ArchiveThe black box would later show that the plane an 86-passenger Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop 15 minutes before it was due to land in Pucallpa in north-eastern Peru and that Diller was plunging into the rainforest from a height of 3,000 metres after the local name of the undulated tinamou a partridge-like bird that fascinated Maria ‘The sounds of the rainforest began to sound oddly familiar’ … Four-year-old Diller with her mother Photograph: Instagram/Juliane KoepckeDiller had been more relaxed about flying and asked her parents to delay the flight until 24 December so that she and her mother could stay in Peru to attend her end-of-school prom and graduation ceremony But she was looking forward to spending her three-month summer holidays at the outpost in the jungle located a three-day boat journey from Pucallpa having spent a year and a half there while her parents set up camp before returning to Lima to finish her schooling Diller regained consciousness an hour after she had fallen from the sky underneath the same row of seats she had sat on inside the plane Its propeller-like movement during the fall probably slowed down her descent and cushioned her from the impact on the rainforest canopy she sustained no major injuries other than concussion a cruciate ligament tear in her left knee and a gash on her upper arm that was deep but not bleeding But if Diller’s field of vision had been clear when the plane had broken apart mid-air Not only had she lost the glasses she had worn since she was a child but one of her eyes was completely swollen shut while the other was narrowed to a thin slit and the sounds of the rainforest began to sound oddly familiar she could make out different species of cicadas some of which emitted a permanent drone-like buzz while others were chirping She recognised the dit dit dit of the poison dart frog whose secretions Indigenous tribes use in their arrows which follow the highways of woodcutter ants along the jungle floor she recognised the melancholy call of the undulated tinamou Another miracle: she had fallen to the ground about 50km from the area of Peruvian rainforest that her parents had studied more closely than anyone before them “The chances of this happening were extremely low: the plane could have crashed over the sea or over the dense and treacherous montane forest to its east All of those would probably have spelled certain death.” In this part of the jungle Diller at her home in Germany Photograph: Maria Irl/The GuardianThe odds of survival were still stacked against her Contrary to how they are depicted in Tarzan films or adventure stories most rainforests are not exotic larders brimming with food for human consumption Palm fruits grow directly under the forest roof Diller did not touch the mushrooms she saw growing on trees because she suspected them to be poisonous but the rain had turned the Christmas cake into an inedible mush She also found a bag containing about 30 citrusy boiled sweets and she allowed herself to suck on four a day This was the only solid food she consumed over 11 days in the jungle Diller could hear the engines of rescue planes searching for crash survivors but she realised they would not find her among the thicket of the forest The green roof over her head was almost completely closed making navigating by the sun or the stars impossible every tree in the rainforest looks the same You walk a metre in one direction and when you turn around you can’t tell which direction you came from.” After stumbling in a daze around the crash site for a few hours she discovered a small stream of water coming out of the soil “That was the moment I developed something like a strategy.” She remembered what her father had told her to do if she ever got lost in the jungle: “If you find moving water colourfully patterned minidress she had saved up to buy for her prom night to avoid stepping barefoot on spiked brambles which she knew could give you blood poisoning recognising the wheezing calls of the chicken-sized hoatzin birds that nest on the banks of large rivers expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life ‘As the sole survivor I kept returning to the question: why me?’ Diller at home in Germany the banks of the river she was following were brimming with wildlife: howler monkeys and yacaré caimans that slid into the river whenever she approached This was a bad sign: “You don’t see animals like this close to human civilisation I just stuck to my mantra that I had to get out of here.” The river wound its way through the jungle in tight bends Diller had run out of sweets and was living off only water The minerals in the sediment she was swallowing made her feel sated but she was beginning to grow weak and apathetic She was now spending most days in the water she was resting on a sandbank when she suddenly realised that right in front of her was a boat who had only sheltered here because a downpour had taken them by surprise she told them her name was Juliane and she had been on the Lansa flight that had crashed over the jungle The men told her they had thought she was a mythical hybrid creature that is half river dolphin but it didn’t seem real until they started talking to me.” The way Diller felt after her rescue reminded her of the way she had felt after her end-of-school exams “You spend months preparing for that moment but when you finally manage it you fall into a kind of void.” When the men told her on the way to the hospital that the crashed plane had not been found her hope for her mother’s survival dwindled The remains of Maria’s body were found on 12 January Juliane was the only one of 92 people on the plane who had survived the crash It’s the deadliest aviation disaster caused by lightning in history Carthartic … Diller revisiting the scene of the 1971 disaster in Werner Herzog’s 1998 Wings of Hope her rescue from the jungle turned her into a saint-like celebrity; journalists were waiting for her wherever she went and when people recognised her in the street and asked friends and colleagues not to talk to her about what happened She was reluctant to step on to a plane again and partially due to political instability and threats of terrorism I repressed what that fall into the jungle did to me,” she says “It wasn’t that I felt guilt: I didn’t think it was me who caused my mother’s death by asking her to take a later flight you keep returning to the question: why me Why was I so privileged that I survived and others couldn’t?” she got a call from the film-maker Werner Herzog who told her he wanted to make a film about her in part because he had nearly booked himself on to the same Lansa flight while scouting for his 1972 film Aguirre Diller was an admirer of the Munich-born director’s films and so she agreed to return to the crash site for the first time “Herzog was very merciless with himself and his crew; what mattered to him was first and foremost the film,” she recalls released in 1998 under the title Wings of Hope became a therapeutic and galvanising experience for Diller she decided to commit herself to continuing her parents’ fight to document and protect the biodiversity of Panguana she successfully lobbied for the Peruvian government to recognise a section of the rainforest as a private conservation area and secured sponsorship that enabled the protected territory to grow from the original 1.8 km sq to 26 km sq return to the region for a month at least twice a year working closely with the local Indigenous people to ensure the forest’s continued protection which pollutes the river with the large amounts of mercury used to separate the precious metal from the mud as are droughts: many of the kind of small streams that guided Diller to safety now commonly dry out during the dry season I may have gone on to study biology like my parents anyway but I wouldn’t have had such an intense relationship with the jungle” “Some people think jungles are hostile environments But for me it was the opposite: it saved my life.” 17.2.2023 09:09:01 CET | Elatec | Press release authentication specialist Elatec will showcase solutions for e-charging stations and machine authentication an international leader in multifrequency readers for user authentication and identification will be at embedded world 2023 (Nuremberg) with innovative solutions for EV charging Elatec will present its portfolio along with access control partner sesamsec With the combination of innovative products advanced software and comprehensive service and support Elatec sets standards in the field of authentication which support 60+ RFID technologies (LF and HF) along with mobile authentication via NFC or BLE enable digital transformation and “all in one” access solutions will show a selection of its powerful devices will also be present to demonstrate their elegant and powerful new Secustos line of readers ELATEC is a global leader in user authentication and identification solutions for business and consumer applications They work with their global partners to develop innovative RFID and mobile credentialing systems that enable secure convenient and frictionless access to places Subscribe to all the latest releases from Elatec by registering your e-mail address below a leading global provider of user authentication and identification solutions is beginning 2025 with a significant step forward in its global expansion strategy: the launch of its new office in Dubai Operating under the name ELATEC Middle East Trading FZE this new location will serve as a dedicated hub to support the company’s growing customer base and partners across the Middle East and tailored access control solutions in the region 2024 – ELATEC Group welcomes Jason Ouellette as Corporate Vice President of Innovation & Technical Partnerships With 30 years of experience in the physical security industry Ouellette brings a wealth of expertise that will drive ELATEC’s technological advancements and strategic growth 2024 – Gerhard Burits expands his responsibilities and assumes the role of CEO of the ELATEC Group Thanks to his in-depth knowledge of the company structure and his strategic foresight he is ideally qualified to reinforce ELATEC’s position as an innovation leader in global competition The management board will have joint leaders at the helm: Also on board is Paul Massey is now also taking on the role of COO of the ELATEC Group and contributing his international expertise to a greater extent 2024 – Elatec today announced it is bringing employee badge in Apple Wallet to its customers enabling an organization’s employees or tenants to unlock access to locations and devices with a simple tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch Powered by Elatec’s Mobile Credential Manager software which works hand-in-hand with Elatec’s universal RFID readers this brings together the world’s most powerful and versatile readers with the best mobile access system available Employee badge in Apple Wallet helps deliver a convenient and contactless experience for users employee badge in Apple Wallet allows users to seamlessly and securely add their employee badge to Apple Wallet and hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near an NFC reader to unlock office doors elevators and key card-protected amenity spaces — eliminating the need to open an app or present a traditional employees do not need to unlock their device to Time recording and mobility: New reader for mobile authentication The multifrequency RFID readers in Elatec's TWN4 MultiTech Nano product family are designed to be used in the mobility and time and attendance sectors the company has expanded the product line with the TWN4 MultiTech Nano LEGIC 63 M which offers users maximum flexibility and security in authentication the reader can process not only cards but also mobile access authorizations mobile authentication solutions that support digital transformation for their customers One result of this work: the new TWN4 MultiTech Nano LEGIC 63 M The extremely compact multi-standard RFID reader (31 x 17.8 x 2.7 mm) ensures a high level of security for authentication while offering maximum flexibility The new reader not only supports all internationally common RFID technologies in the high and low frequency range The XL SCAN galvo-based scanner processes workpieces of nearly unlimited size by combining a 2D scan head with an XY positioning stage enables precise surface processing of 3D-shaped workpieces of nearly any size Applications include windshield processing and surface structuring of mold tools www.scanlab.de Faiz Nahab (2nd from left) and his Proton Motor Power Systems plc Board of Directors are very pleased with the new award All 4 Releases The Swiss company, Leuthold Mechanik AG (HLM; Einsiedeln, Switzerland; www.hlm-ag.com) makes machines for manufacturing aluminum containers for pet food ground coffee as well as for substances as varied as fuel pastes and packaging for medical products such as inhalers "Aluminum is relatively expensive as a base material so the walls of the containers must be as thin as possible to keep the costs low," explains Mathias Leuthold who is responsible for the management of toolmaking and mechanical engineering at HLM there is an increased risk that holes will appear during the forming process as a result of inclusions in the raw material or excessive stresses during the forming." Because holes result in leaks, each container must be checked to ensure it will function as intended, and properly store and preserve its contents. HLM relied on the Swiss subsidiary of their partner Stemmer Imaging (Puchheim, Germany; www.stemmer-imaging.com) for the vision system development Stemmer Imaging recommended that HLM upgrade from intelligent-camera-based vision systems used on earlier equipment to embedded PC-based systems for the next generation of machinery One such machine in the HLM Competence Centre produces pet food containers at a rate of 480 parts per minute Aluminum raw material is fed from rolls into the machine and cut into strips before entering the press are blown out and transported in-line to the quality control modules by means of four parallel transport belts and mechanical tracks In each quality control module, mounted underneath each transport track, a Genie Nano camera from Teledyne DALSA (Waterloo, ON, Canada; www.teledynedalsa.com) equipped with suitable optics from Lensation GmbH (Karlsruhe, Germany; www.lensation.de) captures an image of each container passing overhead as it triggers a light barrier "The Genie Nano cameras met all the requirements with respect to performance frame rate and price," notes Claudio Sager Managing Director of the Swiss subsidiary of Stemmer Imaging there is no standard lighting that meets these requirements so in this case we have developed customer-specific lighting for Leuthold Mechanik." is integrated above the testing stations in the machines The specific size and defined lighting angle allow light transmission through any holes in the containers The four cameras connect to an embedded PC from Worx Engineering GmbH (Romanshorn, Switzerland; www.worxengineering.ch) running Common Vision Blox (CVB) imaging software from Stemmer Imaging The embedded PC evaluates all of the images from the four lines and also handles machine control Processing 120 images per minute on each track for a total of 480 images per minute and triggering rejects to the discharge station the applications know-how of Stemmer Imaging was decisive in finding the perfect solution for us," Leuthold notes Currently the engineer and his colleagues are completing the second machine of the new PC-based generation which will start production at a customer's premises in Austria "And many more will follow," Leuthold is certain To guarantee that their products are fabricated of the highest quality machine builders and other industries demand that the metal parts they use are manufactured to the highest standard and inspected before shipping Companies that supply these metal parts often use laser cutting tools that guide a laser beam to cut these parts from large sheets of flat metal they are then polished and must be inspected to meet the specifications dictated by the computer-aided design (CAD) file supplied by the manufacturer's customer Sturm-Gruppe (Salching, Germany; www.sturm-gruppe.com) has a history of manufacturing such laser-machined parts dating back to 1993 when it was founded as Sturm Blechverarbeitung. Now, teaming with Stemmer Imaging (Puchheim, Germany; www.stemmer-imaging.com) the company has recently developed a machine vision system that is used to inspect these metal parts after they are cut and polished "After CAD files are received from our customers," says Dr Branch Manager of Sturm Vision Technologies "they are stored in a database and used to direct a laser-guided cutting machine to cut the part they then are polished and laser engraved with a numerical code." the alphanumeric code on the part is first read and the result transferred over the cameras Ethernet interface to a host PC where it is compared with that of alphanumeric data from known parts the operator is flagged to remove the part from the conveyor it must be measured to ensure that its characteristics meet that of the CAD data stored in the systems database parts moving along the 170cm broad conveyor are first transferred into an imaging station two white LED custom panel lights manufactured by Sturm-Gruppe mounted at 45° angles in an off-axis configuration are used to illuminate the parts (Figure 2) "While fewer line-scan cameras with telecentric lenses could have been used in this application," says Georg Schelle Senior Key Account Manager at Stemmer Imaging "multiple cameras and conventional lenses were used to reduce the cost of the system." To accomplish this pseudo-telecentric image capture the full 4k image from each of the eight cameras was not used - rather only a 2k sample from the center of each camera was captured Of course, custom calibration of multiple line-scan cameras is not an easy task, as noted by Douglas Wilson in his article "Custom calibration supports linescan system design," (Vision Systems Design, December 2011; http://bit.ly/1HB2JDc). To calibrate the system developed by Sturm-Gruppe a calibration target is placed on conveyor belt and the operator then enters specific target values image data from the eight cameras used in the system is then transferred over each camere's GigE interface to a 16-port GigE switch and the combined data then transferred to the systems host PC Images captured by the camera must then be analyzed and compared with the known good data in the systems CAD database is one of the most unique parts of the system images are first thresholded to remove the image of the background image conveyor Using shape finding and blob analysis tools the contours and edges of objects of the metallic parts are then computed and stored in a database this data cannot be compared directly with the information stored in the CAD model Sturm-Gruppe has developed software that translates the information found in a standard CAD file in formats such as .dxf or geo format into a TIFF image file Data from this TIFF file can then be read by the image processing software and compared with the image data captured from the metallic part captured by the line-scan cameras the known deviations from the CAD model are then displayed on the operator's monitor as green (complete match) yellow (partially good) or red (wrong) see Figure 3 Parts that are not deemed sufficient are then removed by an operator after it emerges from the vision station the system then generates a label indicating the part type date of manufacture and other information that is manually affixed to the part Sturm-Gruppe is using its vision for in-house use but plans to market this to other interested parties The author would like to thank Georg Schelle Senior Key Account Manager at Stemmer Imaging with his help in the preparation of this article Cognex Natick, MA, USAwww.cognex.com Stemmer Imaging Puchheim, Germanywww.stemmer-imaging.com SturmGruppe Salching, Germanywww.sturm-gruppe.com Smart Vision Lights Muskegon, MI, USAwww.smartvisionlights.com Schneider Kreuznach Bad Kreuznach, Germanywww.schneiderkreuznach.com Teledyne DALSA Waterloo, ON, Canadawww.teledynedalsa.com Industry authority and author of thousands of technical articles on image processing Warwick UniversityTel: 603-891-9115 Fax: 603-891-9297 According to Albert Danneberg from the Niverplast R&D team baked goods are conveyed from the freezer to the inspection equipment via an automated supply direct from the deep freezer or by manual placement on the conveyor belt a metal detector checks for undesired metal part contamination that can sometimes occur during the preceding processes the baked goods enter the first machine vision installation that performs the quality check The first requirement of the image processing system is to inspect the geometry of each item So the image processing system has to measure the length width and height of each baked good in order to detect any geometrical This image processing task is very challenging because no two loaves of bread are alike "The shapes of the pre-baked loaves of bread and bread rolls are never identical They are always slightly different," says Dietmar Serbée "It is very difficult for an automated system to decide whether a depression in the surface of a baguette is a deliberate cut or the start of an undesired breakage." the machine vision system should be able to be easily configured to determine whether features like browning topping or roundness of the loaves or bread rolls meet quality requirements Serbée was able to reliably distinguish between such features by developing a proprietary software solution within the Common Vision Blox image processing library Serbée also selected the necessary hardware components for the image processing system "In the preliminary investigations we carried out tests to determine which camera lens and illumination could achieve optimum results," Serbée explains "In the end we chose a combination of line scan cameras and the matching line scan illumination and lenses." Depending on the width of the conveyor belt one or two line scan cameras can be used to optimally cover widths up to 1300 mm Apart from the delivery of other components such as the PC systems and various cables Stemmer Imaging also assisted in the imaging software integration with the graphical user interface (GUI) that operators use to select the next batch of bakery products to be inspected "The GUI itself was made by Niverplast," Serbée remembers "We cooperated closely on the connection in order to fully satisfy our customer's wishes." black spots and shape that would make up a passing quality grade the system automatically diverts faulty bakery items that fall outside of these parameters so that only good loaves proceed to the second station for counting and subsequent packaging To optimize counting accuracy at the counting station operators use simple segmentation tools to train the vision system to understand how to visually separate items Remote support capabilities built into the system enable fast correction of any problems that may arise bakery items proceed to the packaging equipment where perfect bread in the desired quantity are packaged in cartons MD of DM Dokumenten Management; Walter Hailwax CEO of TACO Technologies; and Rob Zimmermann CEO of the new subsidiary LoboSA DM Dokumenten Management further expanded its international network through the formation of a subsidiary in South Africa signed the founding document of LoboSA in Puchheim the headquarters of DM Dokumenten Management with CEO Rob Zimmermann and Mike Jansen at the helm they have 54 years of experience in the IT and DMS sector Zimmermann began his career as a technician in the pharmaceutical industry before joining a FileNet/IBM value-added reseller where he was entrusted with the realisation of large-scale implementations Jansen brings extensive experience as a program and IT manager in four market-leading including being instrumental in introducing a USD100 million SAP HR system for a large South African bank The LoboSA team is specifically focusing on professional firms and companies in the logistics and manufacturing sector Harald Klingelh"oller says: "For us The objective is to bring existing (and future) partners closer to the product and to enlighten the project knowledge of lobo through LoboSA We are delighted to start with a highly-qualified management team." DM Document Management is the manufacturer of the document management system Lobodms the company has successfully developed efficient solutions for document management and audit-proof archiving for more than 18 years these many years of experience are combined with the latest technology for an unbeatable product The company is one of the leading providers of document management systems in the European market Its clear focus on the issue of document management for SMEs has been the success of the company The company's headquarters are located in Puchheim and are represented throughout Europe by subsidiaries and partners Lobodms is the document management system for SMEs high level of flexibility and holistic approach make it possible to meet all customer requirements Lobodms offers the possibility to access a fully-fledged document management system The full scalability offers the possibility to expand the product at any time and thereby use additional functionalities such as workflows More information can be found at www.lobodms.com. The Polish railway company PKP Intercity announced that a new overnight connection from Warsaw to Munich will be launched starting from December 10th. The route will pass through three countries. This is the first overnight connection with Germany in many years, according to lowcostavia.com.ua. Through agreements with the Austrian railway (ÖBB) and the German railway (DB) the route of the new Chopin train has been extended to Munich It is being offered as a convenient way to reach the Alps "In addition to the group of carriages traveling to Munich this train will also run from Warsaw to Prague with a group of carriages that will be switched in Bohumín and a group of carriages to Budapest will be switched in Brzecław," PKP Intercity announced The new route will include the following stations: the IC Chopin will travel along the route through Oswiecim and Czechowice-Dziedzice NEWS INSIGHTS EVENTS VIDEOS Search Home/Software/Official go-ahead given: lobodms goes live at Transworld Cargo in WindhoekOfficial go-ahead given: lobodms goes live at Transworld Cargo in WindhoekDocument management system creator expands its client base in the freight forwarding industry Immanuel Johannes from local lobo partner TACO Technologies (Pty) Ltd. and Ulrich Kinne from the German embassy in Windhoek On 27 October the go-ahead was given for a new era to begin at Transworld Cargo - document management solution lobodms entered production in a ceremonious atmosphere Background: Before the introduction of lobodms It was difficult to enable consistent client documentation across the four sites (Walvis Bay and Windhoek in Namibia including complete documentation of the individual shipping orders and can be put together from different sources The documents thus come from sources such as the interface to the CargoWise One freight forwarding software solution not only has the ability to provide information been significantly improved but the internal costs of filing and searching for documents have also been reduced AKQUINET was involved in this project to round out the overall Know-How by providing deep CargoWise One Knowledge and industry Know-How To enable the data transfer from CargoWise One AKQUINET supported the fulfilment of technical requirements After the technical foundation was laid to enable a trouble-free data transmission AKQUINET provided intensive assistance during the testing phase to cover all relevant Business Cases within CargoWise One and to ensure an accurate operation a concept for an automatic data transmission process within CargoWise One was developed and implemented The close collaboration be-tween all parties involved in this project made it possible to develop a connection between CargoWise One and lobodms to fulfil the requirements of Transworld Cargo for transmitting Documents with related operational data into an external archiving system Transworld Cargo is a Namibian forwarding company founded in 1986 and since then operating successfully in Namibia and Southern Africa Transworld Cargo offers the complete range of freight forwarding and shipping services for all modes of transport as well as fully integrated logistics solutions for all types of cargo Transworld Cargo operates internationally from its own offices in Namibia As part of a worldwide network of agents and logistics providers its offering is characterised by service excellence with a strong emphasis on cost-effectiveness This company is one of the leading suppliers of document management systems in the European market Its clear focus on the field of document management for small and medium-sized enterprises is what makes the company so successful The headquarters of the company are in Puchheim near Munich DM Dokumenten Management is represented all over Europe by subsidiary companies and partners DM Dokumenten Management is the creator of document management system lobodms the company has been successfully developing efficient solutions for document management and audit-proof archiving for over 20 years lobodms combines this extensive experience with the latest technology to form an unbeatable product lobodms is the document management system for small and medium-sized enterprises high flexibility and holistic approach make it possible for all customer requirements to be fulfilled lobodms provides the opportunity to jump on board a full-fledged document management system even with a small budget The full scalability provides the opportunity at any time to expand the product and therefore use additional functions Further information is available at www.lobodms.com.